Book of Common Prayer

12 I saw a wonderful thing in the sky. A woman was wearing the sun like a dress. She stood on the moon. On her head she had twelve stars in a big ring like a crown. She was going to have a baby.

² She cried out in pain because it was time for the baby to be born.

³ And another wonderful thing was seen in the sky. It was a big red dragon. He had seven heads and ten horns. He had seven big rings on his heads.

⁴ His tail struck a third part of the stars from the sky to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who would soon have a baby. He wanted to eat her baby when it was born.

⁵ Then her baby boy was born. He will rule all the countries with an iron stick. Her child was taken up to God, to God's throne.

⁶ The woman ran away into the wilderness. There God had made a place ready for her. There she will have food for forty-two months.

⁷ Then there was fighting in heaven. Michael and his angels fought with the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back.

⁸ But they did not win the fight and no longer were they allowed to stay in heaven.

⁹ The dragon was thrown down. He was that old snake who is called the devil and Satan. He fools all the people in the world. He was thrown down to earth and his angels were thrown down with him.

¹⁰ I heard a loud voice in the sky. It said, `Now the time has come for God to save people. He will use his strength. His kingdom will come and his Christ will use his power. The one who says bad things about our brothers to God day and night has been thrown down.

¹¹ They have won the fight against him by the blood of the Lamb's death, and by what they said. They did not try to save their lives, but were willing to die.

¹² Heaven, and those who live in heaven, be glad because of it! Big trouble will come to the earth and sea! The devil has come down to you. He is very angry. He knows that he has only a short time!'

⁵³ When Jesus had finished telling these stories, he went away from there.

⁵⁴ He went back to his home town and he taught people in their meeting house. They were very much surprised and said, `Where did he learn all this? Where did he get the power to do these big works?

⁵⁵ Is he not the carpenter's son? Is not Mary his mother? Are not James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas his brothers?

⁵⁶ Are not his sisters all here with us? Where did he get all this?'

⁵⁷ They did not understand Jesus. Jesus said to them, `Other people honour a man who is a prophet. But the people in his own country and home do not honour him.'

⁵⁸ Jesus could not do many big works in that place because the people did not believe in him.